Health staff on the move to save cash

FINANCE staff for the health service based in West Lothian are to be moved into the city as part of a cost-cutting drive.

It is understood around 15 members of staff will be switched from St John's Hospital in Livingston to NHS Lothian's new headquarters in the city centre, or to an office in Gorgie.

That will free up office space at the hospital. Workers affected said they had only recently been moved within the Howden site as part of a strategy to create more ward space.

The health board needs to fill a financial black hole of around 70 million and has already announced 2,000 jobs will go over the next two years.

A finance source within the organisation said: "We're not happy about it. Everyone who works here lives in West Lothian and we don't want to be adding two hours to our day by commuting into Edinburgh."